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Topic: GAD and diabetes (Read 222 times)

I'm back from a great trip. I had tons of fun and stress in equal measures, but one thing that ruined my homecoming was what a friend of mine said about diabetes. In his words, "Eating a fair amount of sweets ( chocolate, honey, doesn't matter what it is ) and stress WILL lead you to diabetes"

I got scared, even if my better judgement told me to shrug it off. I've read here and there that anxiety is harmless. That the physical symptoms are only an annoyance, nothing more. But what if I think rationally? Being on overdrive all the time can wear the body down.

Type 1 is partly inherited (genetics play a role), and then triggered by an infection. At this point it becomes an autoimmune disorder with the body's infection fighting cells attacking the insulin-producing beta cells in the pancreas. The onset of type 1 diabetes is unrelated to lifestyle, so stress and diet do not play a role in its cause. This form of diabetes requires the use of supplemental insulin.

Type 2 also has a genetic trait, but with this form of diabetes, lifestyle factors do play a role. Those lifestyle factors include obesity, lack of physical activity, poor diet, and stress. So, you can see how a person suffering with anxiety/depression would be under stress, might not be physically active (doesn't exercise), and has poor dietary habits.

A person with a rare panic attack may not be harmed by their occasional symptoms, but chronic anxiety is not a harmless condition. It places the body under continuous stress and that can be linked to at least increases in many physical illness.

Even those with anxiety/depression can do so much to help themselves, thus limiting their stress and diminishing their chances of illness such as Type 2 diabetes.